Sea Is Rising (An Orm MariusOceanmaster Romance)
by Kezzlebezzle
Summary: The history of Atlantis has been scribbled in textbooks, romanticised, but no one has ever truly known the truth. How did King Orvak really die? What of the rumours of the eighth Kingdom? And what about the legend of the Lost Trident? Many myths, but this tale is the truth - of the King who thought himself a god, and the woman who saved him.
1. Chapter 1

Vulko is pacing. Up on the surface world. He comes here to think. Where it is quiet. One of the last few places of the surface that is still beautiful. He believes the mortals call it "Greenland". How he envies them in that moment.

How heavy his heart is as he remembers King Orvak's dead body floating there and the boy, little Orm, standing there watching, unnerved. Before the waters carried away the blood. But out of all them there, it was the little girl who surprised him the most. What had just come out of her … it was barely real. But in seconds the King was nothing but a shadowed corpse amidst a fallen nation. A dark power. A evil power. Yet she breathed it as if it were normal.

"Vulko."

He starts, twisting around ready to strike. "Kerei."

His beloved stands there, her pale skin gleaming in the moonlight, her once gleaming eyes deadened with fear. "You Stay here amidst the surface dwellers?! While our nation lies on the brink of collapse?!"

"Calm yourself Kerei," he begs, reaching to touch her but she slaps away his hands.

"I will do no such thing!" She snaps. "King Nereus moves to attack as we speak. He says if we do not bring out the child who murdered the King, then he will kill us all! What have you done with her?"

"Kerei, she is only a child."

"She's a murderer!"

"She did not know what she was doing!"

"And now because of her ignorance, we are all doomed to die? No. Listen to me Vulko, I love you, I respect you, I have always admired your ethics, but I will not see our kingdom fall because of some misguided attachment to a brat. Either you bring her to Atlantis now, or we are finished."

Silence. Hanging like the heaviest weight around his neck. She was so frightened. So many things remind her of him. But is she worth giving up the love of his life for? Kerei's eyes flash, and he knows that what is coming next will surely scar him forever.

"Then I love you …" She smiles. "… And bid you farewell, my love." The look on her face could not be described with an entire book. In a second, rage overshadows her eyes. "You will regret this. " She dives into the waves. And is gone.

When he is certain she is far away, Vulko speaks.

"Your Majesty?"

From the rocks, a young prince stumbles, his small hands hanging on tightly to the little girl with the black hair and blood still on her hands.

Vulko kneels down to Prince Orm, touching the little girls head as he does so. She is as cold as the grave. And weeping well enough to match it.

"Prince Orm," Vulko sighs. "We have brought her as far as we can."

Yet still the young prince, not more than six years old, and he does not let go of her hand. "I won't leave her."

Such spirit. Vulko squeezes his shoulder. "And what would you do Your Majesty? Take her back to Atlantis, to the place where she killed your father …"

"It was an accident!" She squeaks. "I couldn't help it …" She is silent when Orm squeezes her hand again.

"I want to go with her Vulko."

"No. No if you love Atlantis, if you honour your mother, you will return with me now."

In the end, it was a matter of crying. A matter of shrieking as he picked up the six year old boy. As he left Aeryn standing there. A child. In a man's world. Little did he know the kind of threat she would grow to become.


	2. Chapter 2

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" _Vulko?"_

" _Yes Your Majesty?"_

" _I miss her."_

 _He remembers Vulko pausing, tossing the squid ink aside. He is more reserved, stricter even since Kerei left him. And every time he sees her, all he can do is remember how easily she cast Aeryn aside. That hatred. Steadily brewing. Only out of respect for Vulko has he not ordered her executed._

" _My King, it would be wise not to mention . . ."_

" _Aeryn." Her name is whispered like a prayer that has never been answered. It's been ten years since she was taken to the surface dwellers and left there for something she had no control over. And everyday, her trusting eyes torture him. He was so sure they would be together forever._

" _You say her name like it's a nasty word."_

" _No. But you must remember Atlantis has a long memory King Orm. There have already been suspicions about your father's death, it is a miracle no one has already set out to kill her."_

" _I would have them executed if they tried," he insists. "I want to see her again."_

 _And Vulko was insistent. Very insistent . . ._

"She's almost fourteen years old Captain," the nun hisses angrily. "I really think there are better children who could complete your beautiful family."

The man along which she is walking is not tall, a little less than six feet. Bit the statue with which he carries himself, to the silence of his patented leather boots, and the crisp curl of his thin lips ensure him instant respect.

"My wife Mary is very insistent Sister Anna," the Captain remarks. "Are we getting close?"

"Here."

The door opens. And there she sits. The strangest field anyone has ever seen. Her lips mutter silently as if she were miming a song, but there is no music. Tattered rope hangs around her dry hands, her long dark hair matted in her fingers. She's like a dream. Hardly even there.

"Rebecca. Get up. Your new father is here."

The girl barely even acknowledges her.

"Rebecca!"

"It's ok Sister." The Captain raises a hand with all the warmth of an icicle. "Rebecca." Slowly he draws closer. Until she look at him through straggled hair. "Rebecca they call you. But we both know that's not true is it child?"

Still not a word. Until he snatches something from around her neck.

"No! Give that back!"

He holds it out of her reach. "Tell me your name child."

"Rebecca!"

The glorious green stone is clutched precariously in his grip. Squeezing. Crushing.

"Your real name."

It is with many tears and suffering that she chokes out the barely audible words. "Aeryn."

The Sister gasps in awe. "My my Captain. You do have a way with children."

"What can I say?" the Captain smiles cruelly. "I've always wanted one of my own." The Knife whips out. The Nun's body hits the ground. Aeryn is dragged screaming even as the gem goes flying to the floor, shattering into a million pieces. She's still screaming as she's dragged away. She has had Orm with her, in that gemstone for ten long, painful years. Now it's gone. And so is he.


	3. Chapter 3

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* * *

Though her tears have dried, her heart could never forget. She can't go back in there. Not back to him. Back to the dark. Back to the experiments . . .

The silence closes in all around her. The forest is dark as she stumbles in nothing but a nightie through the rain. No sense of direction. The drugs are still in her system. And the thunder is striking every nerve in her ears.

That's when she hears the dogs. Shaitan and Bulla. Giant mastiffs. And to this date they have never failed to hunt her down.

The cliff face is drawing ever near. So many times she came here thinking she could escape. But now it's hell. And it's too much. And she reaches the cliff. And she has never felt so sure. So certain that this is the only way out of Hell. The storm rages, urging her on. Back to the sea. She'll never be found again. The death on impact should be instantaneous. She steps forward. And the world goes black.

* * *

"Orm. We need to talk."

"Not now Mera."

"But it's important . . ."

"I said not now Mera!" He shouts. "Can't you see I'm busy?!"

The red headed Atlantan Shrugs. She's pretty enough. Any man would seem honoured to be betrothed to her. But every time he speaks to her, every time they appear together, it seems as unnatural as him setting up one of those "houses" on the surface. It's just not right. Aeryn was "right". And he's been searching for years for her.

"Well fine," Mera says. "I had some information about a certain friend of yours but if you're not interested . . ."

He forces himself to speak calmly. "A friend?"

"Aeryn," she remarks as she studies her nails. "But if you're not interested, I'll just head on off . . ."

"No no no!" He shrieks, snatching her arm. "Tell me what you know!"

"Excuse me?"

"Please."

"That's better. I received some news from the water nymphs near that human place, the 'Southern US Coast', and they said that a body appeared in the water, bearing a very distinguished Atlantan Seal like the one you gave her. Should have died at the pressure . . ."

"But she . . . she's not dead . . ." His heart sinks. "Mera . . . she's not dead, is she?"

Mera's eyes sadden. "Not for lack of trying."

He clenches his fist. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"She threw herself off."

If it's possible to feel like you're drowning underwater, this moment would be it. He feels so many things that it's like his head is going to explode, and the pain . . . what must she think of him?

"Then have Vulko ready my ship. I have work to do."


	4. Chapter 4

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"Tell me about the eighth kingdom."  
Blood drips from her nose. And she is very tired. But not like last time. Last time, sleep solved the problem. This time she knows she doses off. In between the needles. But when she wakes up, the Captain is always there. Just staring. And waiting.  
"I'm not scared of you," she says slowly as her head lolls back.  
He graces her with the ghost of a smile. "I only use fear when it is effective child." Standing, he is not gentle at pressing the IV drip deeper into her skin. "I know I do not frighten you. But these drugs . . . they're very effective on your kind. I've had the chance to test them often. And I can deduce that at just the right dosage, your inhibitions . . ." He strokes her cheek, voice getting softer, vision getting darker. "Falling away. What fun we will have when you can't fight me."  
"You wouldn't . . ."  
"Aeryn. Tell me about the eighth kingdom."  
"No," she whispers. "No I'll never tell you . . ."  
Right before she passes out, his eyes do something weird. It almost looks like they come out of his head. But that would be impossible. "Then what happens now is on you."

* * *

There are many things Orm knew he'd feel when he saw Aeryn again. Pain being the foremost. Shock maybe.  
It's been no easy task to track her down. It took weeks! And he has never been in land for so long. Their food is awful. Their clothes are itchy and irritable. Those disgsuting tube things they puff at make him cough. But her scent . . . after twenty years her scent is everywhere. It was just a question of narrowing it down.  
And now finally, here he's standing outside a house in the middle of one of their fields. It's . . . somewhat painful to look at. Though he cannot tell why. The window panes are shattered, it seems as if the whole place is full of songs only half sung. Seaweed hangs from the tiles atop the roof. Is this where she is? Is this where she lives? She will certainly have to come back with him immediately.  
Following her scent, he nudges the door. It gives way instantly at the same moment that there's a bang underneath his feet. From there on it's instinct. Ripping the floor from underneath him and the sight he sees is enough to make him sick.  
The woman lying on the ground. Her under garments off and the man looking half surprised, who has them in his grubby hands. The trident draws of its own accord. Flies ten feet. Cleaves through flesh and bone and muscle still ripping, ripping. The man's eyes are still full of awe as he begins to pitch forward but Orm grabs him, tossing him away from her. He does not deserve to be near her. Not even in his death.  
Whatever joy he feels at seeing Aeryn again is all overshadowed by what he has just seen. He touches her face, relieved to feel the warm rush of her breathing against her fingers.  
"Aeryn," he whispers. "Aeryn . . ." How far did he get? What other things did he do to her? But there's no time for that now.  
He taps his earpiece. "Vulko?"  
"My King?"  
"I've found Aeryn. I want you to call in my personal guard. This house must be razed. Every trace of it, gone by morning. See that it's done."  
"Yes King Orm - but, are you bringing Aeryn back?"  
"Your position is not to question me Vulko," Orm snaps. How is he going to explain why she's missing her under garments? She will not be impressed. He tears his coat from his shoulders, wrapping it around her legs. There, that's got to make him look better right? Lifting her into his arms, he jumps clear of the rubble and sets off towards the ocean.


	5. Chapter 5

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"Lord Kyei. We have searched the remains. There are no bodies. No trace of anything that has happened here."

The man who stands amidst the smoke and cloud would seem to be little more than boy. Were it not for the squirming full grown man he has clenched in his hand. As the man continues to choke, his general continues to speak.

"This is their doing Lord Kyei," she growls. "I am certain of it. No interruptions for five years, and then out of nowhere, this fire. If Vulko . . ."

"An empty shell," Lord Kyei whispers almost with boredom. The crack of a human neck is nothing new. There have been many sacrifices required to get to this stage. The corpse rolls off into the grass. It matters not if they find it.

"What does my lord command?" the General asks.

"At the Captain's last report, he had almost finished administering my formula to the girl. But not quite. So we must lay out some bait, for this particular fish."

Even the General looks excited. "My Lord?"

"This stage does not require your assistance. Pull back and report to my father. It is time for me to return to my roots."

It is then that he is disappointed to glance the first taste of fear in her dark eyes.

"Please do not harm him. You gave me your word. I help you achieve your new world. And you . . ."

"Do not harm Vulko," Lord Kyei smiles. It's all teeth. "Of course Kerei. I always keep my word."

* * *

" _Tell me about the prince."_

" _What prince?"_

" _The one in your dreams last night."_

" _I . . . what do you care about my dreams?"_

" _What if he wasn't a dream, after all?"_

So when the exact same face appears above her, and there's a very loud sound and it turns out that said loud sound is her screaming, needless to say, Aeryn feels as if she's been thrown off a cliff.

Her hand jerks out, water gathers, torrents push the prince back. Instantly the guards come in . . . what happens next . . .

"Seize her!"

One too many memories. Of always being chained. The first to lay his hand on her is the first to get his wrist snapped.

"Get off me . . ."

One. Two. Three. Glowing chains wrap around her torso but in one freakishly powerful scream, they melt. Like fire. But the pain it brings sends her floating . . . wait, floating?

No. No. No. This isn't possible. She clutches her throat already regretting her actions.

"Restrain her . . ."

Before the next panic wave starts, she hears a stern voice speak. "Guards. Get out. Now."

And they do. Like they were programmed. Like clockwork.

"Aeryn?"

Beyond the obvious handsome face, she can't shake this need to run. He reaches for her arm but she slaps him off, ignoring the flash of hurt in his eyes.

"Where the hell am I?"

He looks surprised but answers immediately. "Atlantis my friend. You know where you are. This is where you come from."

"Like hell it is," she hisses.

"Then how do you explain all of this?" he remarks. "You breathing underwater. What you just did to the guards. Having all this power . . ."

"Oh you misunderstand!" She laughs, jabbing a finger at him. "I'm not trying to answer any questions here. I don't want to explain it. I'm not going to try to explain it. I just want to get out of this, and then . . ."

"I'm not letting you leave."

Silence. "What?"

He clears his throat. "I said, I'm not letting you leave. It's not safe."

"Orm . . ."

"Ha! There it is. How do you know my name? How do you know who I am, Aeryn . . ."

"No . . ."

"You knew me."

"Stop talking . . ."

"We were children together . . ."

"That's enough . . ."

"And now my father's gone, you can come back home . . ."

"I said stop it!" She yells. It's all coming back. It's coming back so fast that it's like someone's poured her brain into a blender. The King still floating in the water. How cold it felt. How the moon shone down on Vulko as he carried a screaming Orm back to the ocean. How she swore she would never allow herself to feel that pain again. Except for twenty years later, when he had the gall to stand there as if nothing had changed.

"Oh my god I can't breathe . . ."

Whatever he sees in her face, it must be something because he immediately starts shouting for a healer.

"Stay with me Aeryn . . ."

She just manages to pant out the words, "Don't touch me . . ." The ocean is pressing in. It's like every breath is poisonous.

And the fear is starting to stink from him.

"Healer!" He yells. "Aeryn . . ." She feels his fingers touch her face. "Tell me what to do."

And her throat opens up just enough for her to plead, one word. "Surface."

And she could never have gotten there that fast. She could never have been that strong. He bursts out from the globe, through Atlantis, through the water. To the glorious light of the Sun.

There she finds a memory. Of the seconds she doesn't regret. When Vulko and Orm had gone. And this little girl was just watching the ocean. Mother gone. Father gone. There was nothing but her and the rising Sun. It was one of the last moments she remembers being able to see herself. Being able to breathe.

Orm's arms are wrapped around her chest, which has steadily settled. So there's no need to hang on then is there?

"I'm fine now, thank you."

"I can see that." He doesn't let go.

"So you can let me go."

If she could see his face, it would be smiling. "There's a lot of things I _could_ do."

She rolls her eyes as she breaks his grip, pushing herself gently away from him. He really is very handsome. But there's more to it than that. She doesn't know yet.

"I thought you were a dream," she says finally.

"I am not a dream Aeryn," Orm says. "I'm real. I'm as real as you are."

"I can see that," she whispers. "But I made peace with Atlantis a long time ago, and so if I have your permission, I'm going now."

"You don't have my permission," he huffs.

"That was sarcasm . . ."

"I let you go twenty years ago," he continues. "In which time you've been treated like garbage by the surface dwellers, a crime for which I will ensure they do not go unpunished, almost raped, beaten . . ."

"I'm not going back to the Captain."

"If you do, you will find him dead."

She raises an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon?"

He draws closer to her in the water. "I told you a long time ago, that I would not allow harm to you to go unpunished. And I meant it. You're not going back to that place. You're staying with me, where I can take care of you until you get better."

"Well now here we have a problem Orm!" She snaps. "Because I'm not going back to Atlantis! Not now, not ever, and if you think you can force me . . ."

"You'll be coming with me somewhere else. A safe place . . ." He sees her face drop and hurriedly adds, "Not under water. I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

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"Do you like it?"

She laughs softly. "I didn't think this would be your kind of place."

Not a few minutes ago they set foot on an island. Not long to walk from the sandy beach to a place on the edge of the forest. The sky was absolutely clear, but there were so many sounds to distract her from the sea. Like the birdsong behind the trees and the gentle sway of the leaves in the wind. It looked like nothing more than foliage to her but when Orm brushed the trees away, it revealed a dainty little door. And next to the door was a glowing lantern. And now here they are.

"You mean on land?"

Aeryn shrugs. "I thought you didn't like land."

The door opens at his command, his fingers on the small of her back as he guides her inside.

"I don't mind land so much. Just the people on it."

As soon as she enters, her breath gets swept away. Books. Hundreds upon hundreds of books. There's so many of them as high as the ceiling, next to every window, every entrance. There's a small desk in the corner with ink and pens splattered across it and a hearth fire to her left.

"This is amazing," she whispers. "I . . ." She stops herself from touching the velvety spines of the books. "This is beautiful Orm. Why do you have this place?"

"You won't laugh?"

"Only one way to find out."

He pauses. "This is my study. When Atlantis was buried beneath the ocean, there was this library, a tremendous mountain of knowledge. It was passed from king to king. Finally to me when my father passed. I brought them here. Out of reach of the public eye."

"Why?"

His eyes find hers. "Not everything should be public knowledge Aeryn. There are . . . a few books in here that could well cause an uprising if they were ever known. Things like what really happened to our forefather Atlan. And your home. The eighth Kingdom." An uncomfortable silence suddenly falls on the both of them until finally Orm shakes himself from his stupor. "Anyway, it's safe. I've been here for months at a time before without even Vulko finding me. I thought you could stay here, until . . . until you're better."

What exactly is wrong with her? She feels alright in and of herself doesn't she? A little tired perhaps but that is just the drugs. And in time it will wear off, and then she can find what she is going to do with herself now that she has been freed of the Captain.

"Alright. Thank you."

The King looks strangely relieved. "Good then. There's a . . . what do they call it now? The place where you make the food . . ."

"Kitchen."

"That's right. There's a kitchen, and a washing place. And if you get bored, you've always got books. Or there's one of those . . . what do you call them? The musical thing, with the small white pieces on it."

"Piano?"

"I've gotten quite good at that," Orm insists.

"If you say so."

"Hey!" She narrowly dodges the ball of water that would have hit her face. "I am very good at it, I'll have you know!"

"I never said you weren't!" She laughs, holding her hands up in surrender. "So . . . what happens from here? Are you staying or . . ."

"I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No no," she insist. "I want you to stay. So . . . so I can remember more . . . about us, you know?"

The biggest smile comes across him. She finds herself remembering the little boy who always used to smile so much. And she wants to make him smile again.

"Alright. I'll stay."

The rest of the day is passed in blissful ignorance. For Orm is not yet master of all the seas. For if he was, he would have known who was watching.


	7. Chapter 7

"We're all going to die! King Orm . . ."  
The poor man instantly starts wailing, frothing at the mouth as the guards pull the chains tighter around him. Lost between moments of unexplained laughter and the loudest crying.  
Vulko stands at the side of Orm's throne, his eyes weary as he watches the King's calloused expressions.  
"Jareth," Orm says again. "You must try to remember old friend. You mentioned a symbol you saw, can you tell us what it was?"  
Jareth shakes his head vigorously.  
"Your Majesty, one moment with this man and I will loosen his tongue . . ."  
Orm lifts a finger and the guard falls silent.  
"Jareth," he says. "Could you draw it?"  
And that is where he finds it.A jagged circle with a line striking through it at the left. And his heart goes cold.  
"You are sure?" Orm presses.  
Jareth manages to get out a shaky nod. Orm lowers the board. There are so many thoughts going through his head, the first and foremost of which is what Aeryn would say. If she knew. If she only knew. But it is too late to change the past.  
"Guards. Get out. Now. Have Jareth admitted for medical attention."  
As soon as they are alone, and left in the blinding whites of the pillars, Vulko speaks.  
"You were there weren't you?" Orm murmurs. He stares at his most trusted advisor. But he is as always, difficult to make out. "The day that my father destroyed the eighth kingdom."  
"I was."  
"And yet their symbol has not perished," Orm answers. "When the Trench Kingdom fell, their symbol could never again be seen. But Jareth is the fifth spy we have sent and now he meets with the same insanity of the others. There's something going on in the wreckage. I am certain of it."  
"My King, with all due respect, that is not possible."  
Orm starts. "Elaborate. Now."  
Vulko looks uncomfortable. "I made a promise to your father . . ."  
"I am your King now!" He growls. "Your promise to my father has no merit now. I am trying to protect the legacy of our people, I will not have it jeopardized by the aged words of lesser men!"  
Silence. It is not the first time he has spoken of his father as a lesser man. And not the last.  
"What I am about to tell you," Vulko whispers, "I was sure I would carry to my grave. It was a weapon designed by your great grandfather, passed down from king to king ever since the age of Atlan."  
"What sort of weapon?"  
Are those tears in his eyes? "A chemical compound contained within a shell of our most potent metal. It was designed so that if Atlantis' safety were ever threatened, the victory would be safely placed in our hands."  
"And this weapon?" Now he has begun, Orm is not so sure he wants to finish it. "What did it do?"  
"Your father brought an army to the borders of the eighth kingdom," Vulko says. "We never even had to enter. He released the weapon and . . ." He steadies himself. "The water burned that day. There was screaming. Yelling. It went on like that for hours. The sounds have followed me all through my dreams, the children . . ."  
Orm raises a hand. That is enough. That is very much enough. And all the while Aeryn was with him, while her people were being massacred.  
"There were no survivors."  
Vulko shakes his head. "None. We went in there after the noise had died down and found it littered with ash and bone."  
Slowly, Orm begins to nod. Though it feels like a weight is sitting in his skull. She would never forgive that.  
"What is your command?" Vulko asks.  
Is this necessary? For a certainty. It is not enough to risk it.  
"Mobilize the army."

* * *

 _"Dear Diary. I've been here for six months. I can't be sure, but I think it's my birthday soon. Like, maybe a few days? I am finding it hard again. Not a good hard. Like a falling kind of hard. One step forward, two steps back. Who are my parents? What do I keep seeing when I dream? I am missing something. Something I can't forget. I feel like I'm . . . broken, somehow . . ."_  
Her head jerks up and the faintest smile graces her lips.  
Hiding her diary under the rocks, Aeryn takes off running through the forest.  
"Aeryn!" She bursts through the doors of the house to find a very panicked Orm heaving over the furniture, pulling out the books.  
"Woah!" she laughs. "I . . ."  
Before she's even finished speaking, she finds herself wrapped in a a bear like hug. He smells like the sea. What once used to be a struggle, but now it seems almost pleasurable.  
"Aeryn?" Orm chides her as her feet dangle above the ground. "The house is a mess."  
"Oh. I'm sorry." It would be very easy to kiss him from this distance wouldn't it? Just a thought.  
"It is not the house I was concerned about. I thought something had happened to you."  
She taps his nose. "So you thought I'd condensed myself and somehow gotten in between the books? Like some kind of book master mind? What kind of brain is that? I . . . aaahhh!" She shrieks as he shakes his head splashing the icy salt water onto her shirt. "Ok ok ok! I'm sorry alright?! I'm cleaning it up now . . ." Silence as he actually has the nerve to grin. "And I'm not going to it from up here smart ass! You can put me down now . . ."  
"I think you need some kind of punishment," he smiles.  
"What? No, I just apologised!"  
"Yes, some time maybe. Is that a new shirt?"  
Instantly she snaps to attention. "Don't you dare . . . Orm!" Her cries are oblivious as he heaves her over his shoulder, strides out onto the beach and with one big PLOP! drops her onto the edge of the sea.  
The shirt goes from light blue to dark blue in one second clear, salt flies up her nostrils and there's His Highness laughing his guts up.  
"Orm?" she smiles sinisterly. "You're dead pumpkin."  
As she takes off running and whooping after Orm who keeps tripping in the sand, it never once occurs to her that this, this time. She doesn't feel broken. When she finally catches him, he goes down with barely any resistance. It's a tangle of legs and arms all around and laughter. Laughter that rings across the sky. No, not broken. Rather, quite complete. Or at least until Orm catches sight of something on her shoulder. Something not there before. Whatever he is, the peace is instantly shattered as he hauls himself to his feet and storms off into the forest.


	8. Chapter 8

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"Where did you get that mark?"  
"I . . ." It would be wrong to say she doesn't know. But he wouldn't believe her. "It appeared a few days ago."  
"So you're going to lie to me?"  
"I'm not lying!" She snaps. "Why would I lie?"  
Complete and utter silence from Orm. "Then why did you delay telling me?" he growls. "All this time you knew that symbol was the one of your people. If they're finally back, you could have told me."  
She doesn't understand. Why is he so angry? Why is he staring at her so coldly?  
"Orm . . ." She reaches for him but where he normally leans into her, he brushes her off. "I'm sorry."  
"Don't be. So much for trust I suppose."  
Before she can say another word, Orm is gone, leaving her with silence and the almost certainty that dinner is burnt.  
For what seems like hours, Aeryn wanders over the island. Finishes cleaning up the books, and the kitchen. Inspects her own wounds. She hasn't really paid attention to them in months, Orm always checked them and he always said, she was "slowly" getting better. And she was. But now Orm doesn't trust her anymore.  
"Why would he want you anyway?" She murmurs to herself. "You're just damaged goods and he's a King for goodness sake."  
"Yes he is."  
She almost leaps out of her skin! Swinging around knife in hand, she's shocked to see a familiar face.  
"Daniel?" The young man nods slowly. Where is he from? She knows his name, everything. He used to . . . to do something? Somewhere? And suddenly she feels very very sleepy. Like a freight train it hits.  
"I've been searching for you for years Aeryn." She steps back as he steps closer. "Don't you remember me?"  
"Don't come any closer!" She hisses. "How are you here?! How the hell did you get here when no one knows where 'here' is?"  
"All good questions, but . . ." As she's debating how to slit his throat, Daniel reaches into his pocket, and draws out a vial. A vial that makes her heart go stone cold. "Maybe we can just skip all the non essentials. This, right here, is why I was searching for you."  
"To give me a useless vial?"  
"Are you really as healthy as you pretend to be?" Daniel smiles. "You pretend you are. You hide the blood in the morning, you smile and laugh in the hope that it will quiet this loud roaring in your head. And your skin will heal. But your body . . . no Aeryn. . . You are sicker than you have been in years."  
Now she remembers. The vial. One vial, every start of every week. There was . . . a lot of throwing up. A lot of headaches. The Captain would inject her with a vial, and she would be just well enough for the next few days, to go through with their little experiments. Just well enough. Until the next dose.  
"You must be completely mad if you think anything you could say, could convince me to take that off you."  
"Fine." He slides it across the table. "Call me when you're puking up your guts."  
"Not bloodly likely."  
"We'll see. If you change your mind." He snaps his fingers, producing a piece of paper with a scrawled number on the front. "Number's on the sheet."  
As soon as Daniel is gone . . . well . . . Orm doesn't want her there anymore. And Daniel, creepy though he is . . . she used to dream of a life where she was in control. Always fighting to stay alive, no time to actually think about what it means to be alive. She wipes a tear from her cheek. Maybe she did give Orm just a bit too much of her heart. Maybe it is time to get herself well. She can take the medicine. Get the hell out of this place. And maybe finally, discover what it means to be Aeryn. There's just one final barrier. The ocean.

* * *

"Orm!"  
Mera. Always appearing where she isn't wanted. And yet here the army encamps. Concealed. Outside the borders of the ruin of the eighth kingdom. It has been two days since he left Aeryn. Two of the most confusing days of his life.  
Her face when he slapped her away . . . but for Atlantis. She will understand. When he returns, she has to understand. It all comes to now and this broken wreckage of a once great kingdom. The sun is low and the water cold. Could this be foreshadowing the days ahead?  
"What do you want Mera?" Orm snaps.  
"What do you think you're doing?" she hisses. "Bringing the army to the eighth kingdom?! This is not where our attention should lie. The surface dwellers . . ."  
"Can take a backseat," Orm finishes. "You're out of your depth here Mera. Why don't you return to Atlantis and fix your hair or something."  
"Can't you sense it?" she bites back without missing a beat. "The gods condemned this place. It is written . . ."  
"No Atlantan shall ever set foot on the threshold of the eighth kingdom. Yes I know."  
"Then you would risk the gods wrath simply on an assumption . . ."  
"It is not an assumption!" Orm growls. "I saw their mark on Aeryn."  
Mera looks as if she's been slapped. "That's not possible. They can't have come back. All this time . .."  
"You would think not. But I know what I saw. And I will not allow this threat to carry on festering under our very noses. If they survived, then they are plotting. It ends today."  
Before Mera can respond, Targus, the head of Orm's guard approaches adorned in darkened scales.  
"My King. The gates are opening."  
"Finally," Orm smiles sinisterly. "I was wondering when they would get the message."  
"Is this about Aeryn?" Mera asks. "What they did to her? That's no reason . . ."  
Orm is in front of her before the sentence leaves her mouth. "Do not speak of what you could not possibly hope to understand Mera. You and the other children, playing your games . . . making bets. . . " Her face goes as white as a sheet. "You have no idea what they did to Aeryn. Now go. Before I have a guard escort you back. It's ending today."  
And the Princess is left to watch in stony silence as the gates open and the King descends with his personal guard to the doom not only of Atlantis, but of the world.  
"Oh Orm," she whispers. "It has only just begun."


	9. Chapter 9

**TheAtlantisGirl - Ok, hopefully this one will better, I will put some space in.**

"This has to stop."

Orm clenches his hands in a vice like grip. There a hundred thoughts, a hundred problems going through his head. That Atlantis has stood for this long and now it needs . . . not him. It needs someone stronger. Someone who could defeat any enemy. Not the massacre that goes on day by day.

"Mera, please . . ."

"It's been a week Orm." All of a sudden, Mera is at his feet, her long fingers stroking his trembling hands.

"I know how long it's been." It feels wrong. Treacherous now he thinks of it. Because all the time he's looking into her eyes, he can't help but wish she was . . . someone else. "I know." He Snatches his hands from hers.

"Orm if we're going to be married . . ."

"We're not."

The silence is heavier than the weight of the waves. She doesn't look even slightly bothered.

"I'll just pretend you didn't say that. I was going to say that we at the very least, would work a lot better as friends. Instead of this cold edge you always try to pull off. I can help you."

So many things to say . . . "We'll never be friends Mera. We're like fire and water. We'd just put each other out." He rises to his full, glorious height. "But I agree. This has gone on long enough. Tell me what you are thinking."

The princess shrugs. "There is a place, far beyond the ocean floor. A temple. Some call it a myth."

"How do you know about this? I've never heard of that . . ."

She touches her fingers to his mouth. "I have my sources. Anyway, the myth says that before Atlantis, a darker power ruled these oceans. They say all that exists in the sea belongs to It. To Him."

"Him?"

"Ramses."

"Meaning?"

"Shadow," she whispers. "All I have ever read of this is in a book that my father had destroyed when I was ten. It was my . . . my obsession. He said it was far too dangerous for a child to be reading but I read that when Ramses died, he left his powers in a stone and bound it with all the knowledge of his people in his most sacred temple. If we went there . . ."

"A week ago I would have said you were insane."

"And now?"

"Now I fear I would be insane if I left Atlantis to die this way, without even trying to save my mother's legacy."

The glass before them reveals the scene. It will soon be time to rejoin the battle. But this new enemy . . . he fights to draw back any tears as he watches how their dark shroud of filth approaches the city walls. When they reach it . . .

"Have the guards found any news about Aeryn?" Orm asks.

"Not so far as I know," Mera answers.

There's another thing he failed at. But since it hurts too much to think of what might have been, he decides not to think about it. She must have left. And her wounds were almost fixed. So she would be better off without him anyway. Especially since there is no guarantee he'll survive this suicide mission.

"Then we leave immediately."

* * *

It's been a week exactly. Since she braved the sea. And actually called a Trench . . . who would have thought it. It was easier than she dared dream to call one of the gangly remnants of the fallen Trench Kingdom. Almost like . . . almost like it was waiting.

Stumbling along the shore lines. Through grass lands. For two days. Until finally she came to a house of sorts. In farm land. Stayed there a day. Until the sickness began to get unbearable again. And they called a doctor out to see her after she specifically insisted on no hospitals (a lot of questions she doesn't want answered).

And now the man is sitting there on the bed, with a very solemn and contemplative look. One that she instantly doesn't like.

"Congratulations," he smiles.

Rolls her eyes. "On what?"

He smiles at Rebecca and Evelyn, the mother and daughter who took her in.

"It would seem your friend here is pregnant."

Cue the spat out tea, then the shock. The memory of the Captain's face floating above hers. Tears. Laughter. Rage. All form into one angry cry and then starts the projectile vomiting.


	10. Chapter 10

"Your baby daddy is going to be so proud," Rebecca smiles. "So very proud. I wonder if it's going to be a boy or a girl . . ."

Evelyn says nothing, keeping Aeryn's head held over the bucket as they make their way out deeper into the country. Her cold hands seem to restrain the urge to puke again. But that's about it. So it is true.

Was that Orm was wanting to say that whole time? All those times his eyes would find hers and he would smile almost sadly . . . and then let his gaze drop. That the Captain raped her? Is this a lie? Is it a dream? Because for a moment there, he almost had her convinced that it was going to get better. Orm, that is.

But since the thought of Orm only makes her cry, she decides to put it far from her mind.

"You are taking me back to the city?"

"Of course sweetheart."

Rebecca insists it so it must be true, but she could swear, and this is just a hunch, that the road to the city follows the east trail and they've just pulled north. And then she looks up at the mirror. Maybe it's chance. Maybe it is the will of the gods. But past the sick stained face of a broken child, she catches Evelyn's reflection. The blue eyes and black hair flash and for a brief moment, she catches it . . . a creature that is definitely not human. A demon. Of another world . . .

Instantly the fascade drops. She catches a clawed hand not inches from her face. How could she have not noticed the rancid stench? The creature that was once Rebecca floors the pedal.

The car lurches as she grabs Evelyn, ramming her haead against the seat. Pain leaks through her arm as a claw swipes at where her head was seconds before. Heated words shouting through the metal, Rebecca tries to reach back.

Almost instinct, ripping a claw from Evelyn's hand and driving it deep into the creature's black heart. Slipping over the hand brake, the car starts rolling forward. Evelyn still not giving up. It's taking all her concentration to avoid ending up like Rebecca.

"Who are you?!" Aeryn yells at the pasty eyed monster with its jagged teeth. "What do you want with me?!" The car is still rolling forward and the landscape becomes ever blurred. "Tell me, or you'll join your friend!"

That's when the ground gives out beneath them. It's like watching then whole scene from the outside. Never has she seen herself look so enraged, her eyes are glowing beams of fire, her hands are locked on with an iron grip. The wind is wrapping around the care as the wheels leave the safety of the grass, crash into the rocks, hurtling for water. And right before they hit, Evelyn says something that is definitely not English, but that she understands nonetheless.

"That bastard will not be born . . ."

The car slams into the water. Evelyn must die. The evidence has to be buried she knows this. And it as if the water knows it too. The currents bend, the car door falls from its hinges. Evelyn is just about to come forward again but then she is snatched! Snatched and pulled into the darkness of the sea. Aeryn hurtles to the surface, to the safety of dry land.

* * *

 _"_ _Don't be afraid."_

 _"_ _But Sigaba. . ."_

 _"_ _Do you trust me?"_

 _The two robed figures drift through the murky waters amidst the temple. A glorious creation of molten lava and rock that glows in the heat of its embrace. A testimony to the powers that made it._

 _"_ _But Sigaba, you told me never to come here."_

 _The first figure removes its hood. A pale complexion with dawn eyes and a head of onyx hair, but the pupils are shaped as diamonds and the ears are decidedly elf like in nature._

 _"_ _That I did Umbatu, that I did. But we must make the best use of what we have, no? We must not let injustice reign, no?"_

 _The second figure seemed much too tall to be a child but when she removes her hood, her large innocent eyes betray her._

 _"_ _No Sigaba . . . but what can we do?"_

 _The figure casts out its hand. The orb before then starts plummeting and glowing until it's vision completely saturates the room. A golden city standing tall above the water with all the glory of the future at its finger tips._

 _"_ _Mankind should not dabble in the power of the gods Umbatu. It leads to problems always, to beacons sent to the darkest corners of the cosmos. If we want to avert this injustice, we must make an example of those who seek to have this power."_

 _"_ _What is this city Sigaba?"_

 _"_ _This my child, is Atlantis."_

Orm's eyes snap open just as Mera reaches for the touch pad, throat bleeding, yelling for her to stop, to turn back, before it's too late. But even before she touches it, he hears a voice rumble in the deep beneath them.

Sees the ghost of the temple laugh at hem casting the sea into shadow. A chilling siren song begins to drift up to their eyes.

"Go!" He snaps to Mera. The doors crumble and seal. They are left to hide, to weep and watch in horror as the rocks above their heads seem to melt into ash and oblivion and the sound is all consuming.

"What did you see?!" He hears Mera cry out over the rage.

With fear in his eyes, Orm answers, "We woke the gods."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys, please leave a review if you like it so that I can continue writing it! It makes a big difference!**

"This is not the Queen."

Mera's face drops. How long has it been since their capture by these creatures of the night? An hour? Two? Three? And all the while Atlantis is running out of time and Mera . . . no, it was a mistake to allow her to accompany him.

Tall figures of wreath and flame seem to glow around them. They could just as well be spirits were it not for the burn marks they leave. And they seem particularly obsessed with Mera.

There is a great hissing sound and then one turns to Orm with milky white eyes.

"Orm Marius, you are King of Atlantis?"

He swallows. "I am."

"And you have brought your Queen here?"

"She is not my Queen," Orm says. "She was my betrothed . . ."

"No, no, no . . ." More and more restless they appear and the water is frothing with the torment of their frustration. "This is not Aeryn Jarsethis. This is not your wife!"

He is confused. How has the knowledge of Aeryn come all the way down here? Mera seems to stare into nothing, her eyes unseeing.

"Let her go," Orm growls.

"What?!"

"Let Mera go, she's of no use to you," Orm repeats. "She is only at Alantan, I am the King, I am the one you need to talk to."

There is a moment where they are lingering over her. Where even as her eyes catch the ocean floor, he half expects to hear himself screaming as they sever her head from her body. The leader removes his hood and Orm gasps as he beholds the greasy skin, the remains of a face devoured by time.

"Let her go?" The figure smiles and his henchman rattle with laughter. "Let the King's command be done!"

The knife glistens in the darkness. Crunching into Mera's chest, clean through her heart. Biting his teeth so hard the blood mixes with the water for they know, both of them, that she is not dying. Not yet. She's choking on the acid sweetness of her own blood.

"When the poison reaches her heart," the Leader murmurs, "we will indeed let her go."

"You have just signed your death warrant."

"If you obey our command, no one will see the dark of death this night."

Our? Suddenly the walls seem to get a whole lot closer. "What do you want?"

"We want information."

"About what?"

"About the key to our freedom. Tell us about this Aeryn."

* * *

The red and blue lights once seemed to hold the promise of rescue. How many times did she linger there with the Captain, watching the lights pass by their house time and time again and they never came.

What a bad joke that now she's guilty of first degree murder and they're finally coming to get her.

Gliding to the shore line, she strips off her jacket, lifting it up to her nose. Putrid green blood stains the wrists, it makes her frighteningly heady. But when she sniffs it once, it's everywhere. And she senses the same confusion that was Daniel.

Rustling the garment, a phone falls out. It is Evelyn's jacket. But the damn thing is smashed beyond repair. Cracking the case forward just an inch reveals an engraving in the back of the phone. With the same number Daniel gave her. What the hell is going on?

Prickling skin. She clutches the jacket suddenly, suddenly it is too close. She feels isolated, and studied all at the same time.

" _Aeryn_ . . ."

The police sirens are always in her head when they are not directly being sounded. The whisper of the grass across the rocks of the cliff, past the cars, behind the roads . . .

" _You sense it . . ."_

Dare she answer? Or is this just the first pebble in an avalanche of insanity?

"I sense evil," she whispers back. "Why did I not feel it before? It's everywhere."

 _"We have purged the bodies of your attackers. But on their heels . . ."_ The voice drops to a whisper. _"On their heels comes a hunter far more deadly."_

"Then the hunter is close."

 _"Yes child."_ The sirens get louder. _"You must become . . . invisible."_

The night. The pitch black of the ocean. It terrifies her. But something far worse is coming from behind the vehicles, something that she would not dare wait to see.

"Grow a pair," she murmurs to herself. "You did it once. You can do it again."

"Hurry . . . he has the scent . . ."

Tossing the phone and the jacket into the ocean, Aeryn dives into the murky deep.

The sea feels ill. Weakened. Tearful. If it is even possible. Even as it wraps around her, spurring her onwards. The sea connects to every land to every country, to every district. The same rancid scent that covered her attackers now floats to her nostrils. It's disgusting. But if she wants to get better, it is the very scent she has to follow.

Pleading thoughts to the ocean. It bubbles and spurs her off into the waves.


	12. Chapter 12

_"_ _Aeryn?"_

 _The sheets smelled of salt, but not biting. Like over chips. It was intoxicating. Something warm touched her cheek, pulling her from a sweet sleep._

 _"_ _Orm? I was sleeping!"_

 _"_ _This will be worth it."_

 _"_ _It better be the secret to eternal life or some stuff like that . . ."_

 _"_ _It's better. Come on!"_

 _She started to reach for a gown but Orm's pleading hands draw her scantily clad from the cabin and into the moonlight. And that's when she hears it._

 _It started as a tingling on her skin. Her heart started waking up, overriding the tiredness or even Orm's hand in hers. To the growing warmth spreading along her chest, making her smile._

 _And there at the horizon, lies a boat so glorious, so magnificent in nature that it appears the heavens themselves have opened up. And along the decks and across the sails, these strange shapes seem to pass._

 _"_ _No . . ." She whispers. "Oh my god . . ."_

 _"_ _The sirens."_

 _He appears just as awe struck as she. Their song is rising and falling with the waves and even though she doesn't understand the words, she understands the sentiment. And she just wants to sleep all of a sudden. To lie down. To close her eyes and give in to the gravity of this serenity . . ._

 _"_ _That's enough for you . . ." Orm scoops her into his arms. "Too much can be lethal you know."_

 _"_ _Why aren't you affected?" She remembers asking._

 _"_ _I'm the King," he said as if that answered everything._

 _"_ _Right . . ."_

 _"_ _You can go back to sleep now," Orm murmurs. "I'll watch over you."_

"Freeze frame."

Oh god she's tired. Like it had no beginning and no end. Like that's the way she always was. And Orm. She swore she had let go of Orm. He's just a man. Just a man. But now it would appear she's walked into another problem and once again, she's alone to face it. I'll watch over you my ass.

"My Lord . . ."Still dark. "She is with child."

"It changes nothing. When millions will die before my whims, what is one more?"

The chattering voice seems to bustle around her. "She may have been in love with the King."

"Her love for him is not of consequence Yanda. It is already apparent to me that the King is in love with her. Isn't that right, daughter?"

When the darkness clears, she doesn't know how. Or why? Except that she has seen those grey eyes before and they were staring at her in the mirror for twenty eight years and now here they are on another man. A tall, handsome man clad in robes of emerald green, his face perfect in its scarred imperfection. And Aeryn bursts into tears. And it is not long before the tears turn into laughter. It's just so bloody funny!

"My Lord, the drugs should have worn off . . ."

"You think Orm loves me!" she carries on cackling. "Man I think I wet myself! I hope that's not what the plan relies on because if it is, damn you're screwed!"

"I am glad you are able to take amusement from your predicament," the tall man smiles. "It should lessen the discomfort . . ."

The pain snapped from zero to ten in less than a second. It was so sudden, so complete that she did not even scream.

"There are nanites being applied to the nerve endings responsible for your speech," her supposed father claims. "You will not be making a sound during the procedure." He really does have very beady little eyes. Eyes that stare. Without thinking. Without feeling. Without colour.

Hell could not compare to those few minutes. Where she can't feel her heart beating only the fire in her chest, where she can't feel her voice crying only the acid in her throat. And all the while there is nothing she Is holding to but anger. That she has come all this way, been impregnated, deserted, cast aside like a piece of crap. But she won't be murdered in cold blood either. She _won_ _'_ _t_ be murdered in cold blood either.

The procedure finishes. The tall man leaves. Yanda, a small bald man comes and gives her some water. And just as he leans forward to tip the cup to her lips, she tosses her weight forward, knocks him to the ground, her heel comes up. CRACK! His jugular crushes under the weight of her foot. She picks up what is left of the cup of water, drains it out.

"Maybe I'm just not a nice person," she murmurs to the corpse. "That's why he doesn't love me."

Something feels . . . odd. Like . . . extra? Something off. One thing is for sure. Maybe, one last time, Orm can help her. Maybe get the technology to get the parasite out of her, let her go back to normal. Maybe. Maybe in Atlantis, is the key to getting her life back. And if not . . . maybe Yanda won't be the last corpse that she is responsible for.


	13. Chapter 13

"Why . . ."

He feels dull. Like someone cut off his head and left it there to burn in the Sun. Like someone ripped out his heart and left it to become one with the dust. This is all his fault.

"Mera!" He snaps again as he pulls her towards Atlantis with a stream of blood behind her. "Mera don't give up, Mera! Can you hear me?!"

What did he tell them? What did he reveal about Aeryn? Stumbling blurry words. A drunk mind and a drunk heart. He wishes he had never brought her back.

Emerging from the tunnels and into the light is as refreshing as a slap around the face.

"My King!" Vulko and a fleet of guards surround them. Instantly his heart falls, he doesn't want to hear anything, he doesn't want to see anything but he knows that he must and the fear. The fear is hidden behind this mask, this fascade of bravery that grows ever harder to maintain.

"Take Mera to the healer," Orm commands as he hands her over. "Keep her there a while . . ."

"King Orm." Vulko's kip keeps twitching the way it always does when he is annoyed. "Where have you been?"

Ghostly faces in the dark. "Exploring a possibility."

His green eyes widen. "You did not explore the tunnels . . . it is a graveyard not a safe haven . . ."

Normally a single look from Orm would silence him but now he's like a shark, irritated and unwilling.

"Calm down Vulko . . . we are still in company . . ."

"And the gods!" He snaps. "Did you give no thought to what you would awaken, what evil you might bring down upon us?!"

"That is the evil!" Orm roars as he jabs his finger at the opening in the Dome where even now the enemy can be seen descending upon Atlantis like a tidal wave. "Did not my father with his dying breath, command me to do all in my power to defend this Kingdom? Who are you to question my decisions?!" Met with silence. "I have given everything for this Kingdom. You have lost nothing. I hope, that this will be the last I hear of your insubordination."

Just as he prepares to move away, Vulko murmurs something under his breath.

"I suppose the love of my life does not qualify as a sacrifice worthy of Atlantis."

He glares back. "For the lives of millions? Why should one?"

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. Just like he always regrets it. Just like he was standing there with Aeryn as a child, watching Vulko hang his head like someone doomed to death.

"Vulko . . ."

"Aeryn is here." His eyes do not meet the King's. For if they had, they would have seen the slightest trace of happiness trickle into damp eyes.

"Where?"

"The guards post."

They glide through the water, moving past the entrance to down below, through transparent corridors, ever closer to the edge of the city.

"Why was she not brought in?"

And that is the question that Vulko does not answer.

Or maybe, pretends not to here. For as soon as they enter the guards quarters overlooking the carnage, as soon as Aeryn's dark eyes lift to meet his, first comes shock. Then comes pain. Then comes rage.

Her hands wrap around his throat, screaming, tightening . . .

"Aeryn, it's me, it's me!"

She is strong far beyond any foe he has ever faced. The guard shoots her with a canister. The sweet sickly scent of the sedative pours over her but even then, she only falls back.

"Aeryn . . ."

A step forward and she is grabbing her head and the sound, the screeching sounds of her crying. Like nothing he has ever heard. Her skin lights up, her nails claw her cheeks . . ."

"Stop it," he pleads. Grabbing her hands . . . "Aeryn, stop it! You're drawing blood . . ."

Through labored breathing he hears her croak out the words, "Kill me . . ."

"What is this? What's happened to you . . ."

"Please! I can't . . . I can't fight it anymore!" Her back arches up ready to attack again at the exact same moment that the guard fires another canister. And this time, she goes down like a rock.

"That won't hold her long . . ."

"How much did you use?" Vulko growls.

"Enough for a male twice her size," the guard grunts. "I will try again when she wakes . . ."

"No," Orm hisses.

"But My King . . ."

"Four doses of a highly lethal compound and she may not survive it if you try a fifth. You will not use the gas on her again."

"But She is unstable! Every minute she is awake she thinks only of destruction. You saw how she reacted to your presence my King."

He sighs. So tired. "Take her to the medical bay. Keep her sedated as best as you can. I want a complete report on her blood as soon as possible. Find out why she's lighting up."

"And the battle King Orm?" Vulko intercedes.

There is no way to prolong it any longer. The gods have abandoned them. "Prepare the city for invasion. Have my mount prepared immediately. I will join the front line."


	14. Chapter 14

"King Orm!"

He does not remember ever being this tired. For one of the royal blood line. He never thought the burden would become so heavy. The fighting has left him angry. And on the heels of that anger, bitterness. Good soldiers dying. And they are barely being held back.

"This had better be important Vulko."

His heart turns to frost when they enter the room where Aeryn was once present. The place is swarming with medics. And instantly, his mind churns out a thousand possibilities, none of which are promising.

"What . . ."

Following through from there, Vulko prevents him entering the larger infirmary. For there behind the crystal reflection is a sight bad enough to make him sick to the stomach.

There must be hundreds of them down there. Women. Children. The water is putrid yellow with the stench of their rotting skin, their dry lips seem to moan but the words are incoherent. The wails of the little ones. Their eyes are like a sea of dimming orbs glowing there in the darkness.

"Where are the medics?!" he snaps upon seeing the lack therein. "Have you gone mad?!"

"There can be no contact!" Vulko insists. "The contagion is highly intelligent. There are already medics in there, when it gets close to someone who is not infected, it appears it can __eat__ through just about anything. So far, only the razvite glass, this material before us, appears to stop it."

"How did this happen?" he growls.

Vulko swallows. "Aeryn . . ."

"Impossible. She would never do such a thing."

"Intentionally? Of course not. But the virus escape came as soon as she entered Atlantis, not a moment before."

"Where is she now?"

"I urged her to use one of the secured cubicles," Vulko whispers. "They were . . ." He clears his throat. "They did not want her alive."

"I will speak with her immediately."

What stops her going out there? Giving herself over? It is no more than she deserves is it? To have the gall to come here, or how did she get here? The nanites . . . It's something to do with the nanites. But she's so damn tired, she can't remember.

" _ _Aeryn?"__

That sounds like Orm. But it cannot be Orm. Because Orm hates her. And he would not be there, behind the glass would he? Aeryn rouses herself from the bed, ignoring the dry scabbing along her hands that cracks and bleeds when the moves her fingers.

"Orm?" she murmurs. "Are you real?" She rests her head against the glass.

"I'm real!" He seems almost desperate that she should know it. "I'm real, I promise. Aeryn . . ." He traces her face with his fingers. "Aeryn forgive me, forgive me . . ."

She laughs weakly. "What are you sorry for?"

"For leaving you. For being too afraid to love you properly. For not waiting until you were healed before letting you go . . ."

"Orm, Orm," she shakes her head. "I'm tired. I'm practically falling apart, let's not remember that, it doesn't matter now."

"It __does__ matter. When you're well again . . ."

"Orm," she sighs. "You are very optimistic my dear. But I can feel it this time. I can't shake this one. My father . . ."

"Your father?"

"I saw him," she mutters. "And Yanda. There, with the eighth kingdom. I always thought that __I__ escaped. But he let me go. He let me go . . ." Her chest starts rattling. "Knowing that I'd come back here for __you . . ."__ Only speaking it out loud does the cruelty of his plan fully embrace her. "Everyone was playing games with me, and now I'm just relieved it's going to be over . . ."

"No . . ."

"Orm . . ."

"No! I won't listen to you talk like that anymore. You speak as if you were already dead! Everything can be reversed . . ."

"How?" she cries. "Look at them Orm! I mean you don't even know the razvite can hold it! He wants everyone dead and he wants to use me to do it, every second I'm alive, I'm just doing what he'd want me to do, being what he'd want me to be . . ."

Does he catch the streak of madness in her eyes. "Don't you do it . . ."

"I'm sorry Orm."

That's when the lights go out and the Sun itself becomes as shadow.


	15. Chapter 15

Pain . . . anger . . . rage . . . bitterness. Only a few singular thoughts settle in the creature's mind as it drifts through the dark waters of Atlantis. He had thought it would be far more satisfying to see the dead bodies. Alas looking at them now, it is so pathetic. Women. And children. And little males with big dreams. They are not the fish he had hoped to catch.

"Daniel," he growls. The Atlantean hybrid drifts through the shadows to his side.

"My Lord."

"You assured me my daughter would be here."

A nervous flicker passes through the blues of his eyes. "And she should have been my lord. The dose of the nanites . . ."

"You question my calculations boy?"

"No!" A little bit too fast and he has to clear his throat. "Of course not my lord. I am simply saying that I was sure she would be out cold."

"Unless . . ." How unfortunate it would be if it were so. "The would be King thinks he can oppose me does he? I will have to set that notion to rest. Take Keresis. Take the creature. I want what is left of this wreckage rounded up. Let us see how far the King can bend before he breaks."

* * *

"No, no . . ."  
He can't believe he's doing this. It's madness. It's insanity. They're both going to end up as two dead floating bodies, lost to the sea. But the darkness . . . if it is what he thought it was . . . there is nowhere in the ocean where she would be safe.

"Why didn't you leave me alone?!" Aeryn sighs as he half pulls her through the tunnels. "I was going to die and you were going to be a King again and I was going to make amends for what I did . . ."

"Make amends?" Orm growls. "Is that thing messing with your head?"

"Yes if you must know they are!" she hisses as she yanks his arm from her waist. "I didn't ask for your help! The lights going out? That means they're here, up there, right now with your people, probably looking for me, and if you think I'm going to hide out here just because I'm afraid of something that may or may not happen, than you're wrong!"

She had just started moving in the opposite direction when the walls began to shake. When the balls of flame began to flicker and the rubble begins to come down. Instantly he shields her, covering her body with his but it is short lived. A few tentative moments sees them lying there in the dark. Imagine a knife slowly piercing your wrist. Feel the trepidation. Then the shock. Then the pain, burning pain, start coming. So it is as whatever is above their heads moves forward. It stops. Orm covers her mouth. Silence. Nothing coming from either way but it feels like there should be. Then, the creature keeps on moving as they exhale a sigh of relief.

"Aeryn," Orm whispers, their mouths centremeters apart. "If you attempt to leave my side, I'll knock you out. Do you understand me?"

"You wouldn't dare." He raises an eyebrow. She gulps. "Alright."

"Let that be the end of that. What was that thing?"

The second she tries to speak, her throat chokes up. Not a word. She knows what it is. Where it came from. Why it's here. But the more she tries to enunciate, the more pain it causes, so she settles for a sad smile. "I don't know."

"It won't get down here," Orm promises, squeezing her hand.

"You seem very sure."

"I know it won't," Orm sighs. "Come now." He brushes a strand of hair from her face. "Let's get a move on."

It is some time there, going through the tunnels. It feels as if they abandon one trap only to walk into another one, and there they go, into the maw of the beast.

* * *

 _ _"Ah . . . yes . . . yes . . ."__  
What power! How glorious it feels just to touch the fringes of the light! Centuries imprisoned could not quell their hatred. And now even to behold the young King and the woman . . . it fills their empty hearts with something akin to happiness.  
 _ _"She is here . . ."  
"But the King . . ."  
"Send him back in pieces . . ."  
"No . . . he loves this one . . . our salvation . . . let him watch as we strip her from his mind . . . when we have her heart . . . awaken we will from our slumber . . ."  
"To have Atlantis?"  
"And the world. Take them ___**_**now**_**_ _ _."__


End file.
